Olympiad Test: The Living Organisms - Characteristics & Habitats - Class 6 MCQ

A chameleon protects itself from its enemies by changing the color of its body. This ability, known as color change or camouflage, helps the chameleon blend into its surroundings, making it harder for predators to spot it. This adaptation is a defense mechanism that helps the chameleon avoid being attacked.

In hilly areas, the trees typically have adaptations that help them survive in the cold, windy, and often snowy conditions:

• A: These trees are normally cone shaped: Many trees in hilly areas, especially conifers like pines and firs, have a cone shape that helps them shed snow and prevents branches from breaking under the weight of snow.
• B: They have sloping branches: The sloping branches help the tree shed snow and ice more easily, preventing damage.
• C: The leaves of some of these trees are needle-like: Many trees in hilly and mountainous regions, like pines and firs, have needle-like leaves that reduce water loss and withstand harsh weather conditions.

Therefore, all of these statements are true.

Basic needs required for a plant to grow are air, water and sunlight. It prepares its food in the presence of sunlight. Its shoot system or stem respond to light and bends towards the direction of sunlight.

The living environment consists of several important components that interact to support life. These include:

• Water: Essential for all living organisms as it is involved in various biological processes.
• Trees: Crucial for providing oxygen, absorbing carbon dioxide, and supporting ecosystems.
• Sun: Provides the energy necessary for photosynthesis and is a primary source of energy for life on Earth.

Therefore, all of these components are major parts of the living environment.

• A: Mangroves - marshy areas: Correct. Mangroves grow in coastal, marshy areas, especially where saltwater and freshwater mix.
• B: Coconut - hot and damp places: Correct. Coconut trees thrive in tropical, hot, and humid climates.
• C: Cactus - wet areas: Incorrect. Cacti are adapted to dry, arid regions like deserts, not wet areas.
• D: Mango - plains: Correct. Mango trees grow well in plains and tropical regions.

So, the mismatched option is C: Cactus - wet areas.

Adaptation refers to the process by which an organism adjusts to its environment in order to survive and reproduce. It can involve changes in behavior, structure, or physiology that enhance the organism's ability to thrive in its habitat.

• B: Mimicry is when one organism resembles another to gain some advantage, often for protection.
• C: Hibernation is a period of inactivity or dormancy, typically in winter, used by some animals to survive harsh conditions.
• D: Aestivation is similar to hibernation but occurs during hot and dry periods, typically in summer.

Therefore, the correct term for 'adjustment to environment' is Adaptation.

Animals living in polar regions have specific adaptations to survive the cold and harsh conditions. These include:

• A: Wide and large paws: Animals like polar bears have large paws to distribute their weight and help them move efficiently on snow and ice.
• B: Layer of fat under skin: Polar animals, such as seals and whales, have a thick layer of fat (blubber) to insulate their bodies against the cold.
• D: Strong sense of smell: Many polar animals, such as polar bears, have a highly developed sense of smell to detect food and mates over long distances.

C: Thin skin with scales is not an adaptation of animals in polar regions. This adaptation is more commonly seen in reptiles that live in warmer climates, not cold regions. Therefore, the correct answer is C.

(i) Thin skin is not a characteristic that protects an animal from cold weather. In fact, thin skin would expose animals to the cold more easily.

(ii) Thick skin or fur is an adaptation that helps animals stay warm by insulating them from the cold. Animals in cold environments, like polar bears, have thick fur or a layer of fat to keep warm.

Therefore, the correct answer is B: (ii) only.

Camels have several adaptations to survive in the hot, dry desert environment:

• A: It has a layer of fat under its skin: While this is true, the main adaptation that allows camels to survive in the desert is their ability to store fat in their hump, not just under their skin.
• B: It sleeps during the day and is active at night: This is also true; camels are crepuscular animals, meaning they are more active during the cooler early morning and evening hours to avoid the daytime heat.
• C: It stores fat in its hump which can be broken down when it needs energy: This is the most crucial adaptation. The hump stores fat, which can be metabolized for energy when food is scarce.
• D: It stores water in its long neck: This is incorrect. Camels do not store water in their neck. They have the ability to drink large quantities of water at once and store it in their body, but not specifically in their neck.

Thus, the correct answer is C.

The environment consists of two main components:

• Biotic environment: This includes all living organisms such as plants, animals, and microorganisms.
• Abiotic environment: This includes non-living components like air, water, sunlight, temperature, and soil.

Together, these biotic and abiotic factors interact to form a complete environment. Therefore, the correct answer is C: Both biotic and abiotic environment.

Terrestrial ecosystem includes those organisms which live on land. It is classified into three types ? Forest ecosystem. Grassland ecosystem and Desert ecosystem.

A car, like living things, requires energy to function. It uses fuel (such as petrol or diesel) to run, which is analogous to how living organisms need energy from food to survive. The other characteristics are specific to living organisms, not cars:

• A: Response to changes: While cars may respond to control inputs, this isn't the same as the complex responses of living organisms.
• C: Reproduction of its kind: Cars don't reproduce; living organisms do.
• D: Taking in gases: While cars take in oxygen (in a way) for combustion, it isn't the same as living organisms taking in gases for respiration.

Thus, the characteristic that applies to both living things and a car is B: Need of energy.

• A: Camel - Desert: Correct. Camels are well-adapted to desert environments.
• B: Germs - Air: Correct. Germs can spread through the air, especially in the form of airborne pathogens.
• C: Polar bear - Snow: Correct. Polar bears live in cold, snowy environments.
• D: Whale - River: Incorrect. Whales live in the ocean, not in rivers.

Thus, the pair D: Whale - River is not correctly paired.

Abiotic components of a habitat are non-living elements that influence the environment and the organisms living there. Water is an abiotic component because it is a non-living element essential for life, providing hydration and supporting various life forms.

The other options are biotic components:

• A: Tulsi: A plant, hence a biotic component.
• B: Snail: An animal, so a biotic component.
• C: Bacteria: A microorganism, and thus a biotic component.

Therefore, the correct answer is D: Water.

• A: Growth in size: Growth is not exclusive to living organisms. Non-living things can also grow in size through processes like accumulation of material (e.g., crystals growing larger or mountains forming).
• B: Respiration: This is exclusive to living organisms. It refers to the process of taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide to produce energy.
• C: Reproduction: This is exclusive to living organisms. Reproduction is the process by which organisms produce offspring.
• D: Excretion: This is exclusive to living organisms. Excretion refers to the removal of waste products from the body.

Therefore, the correct answer is A: Growth in size, as it is not exclusive to living organisms.

Animals with thick fur are typically found in cold habitats like mountains or polar regions. Thick fur helps these animals retain heat and survive the cold, harsh weather conditions.

• A: Grassland: Generally a warmer habitat, not ideal for animals with thick fur.
• C: Desert: Deserts are hot environments, and animals there are more likely to have adaptations to conserve water and deal with the heat, not thick fur.
• D: Ocean: While some ocean animals have thick blubber to protect against cold, thick fur is more common in land-based cold environments like mountains.

Thus, the correct answer is B: Mountain.

• A: Short roots: Aquatic plants typically have short roots because they don’t need to anchor deeply in the soil. The water provides buoyancy, and the roots mainly serve to absorb nutrients.
• B: Long slender stems: Aquatic plants often have long, slender stems that help them float or sway with the water currents.
• C: Ribbon-shaped leaves: Many aquatic plants have ribbon-shaped or elongated leaves to reduce resistance to water currents and to efficiently absorb sunlight.
• D: Long deep roots: Aquatic plants generally do not have long, deep roots like terrestrial plants. Their roots are mostly short, as they do not need to anchor deeply into the ground but rather float or remain in shallow water.

Therefore, the correct answer is D: Long deep roots, as it is not characteristic of most aquatic plants.

Plants are the organisms that depend on abiotic components (such as sunlight, water, and minerals from the soil) for food through the process of photosynthesis. They use sunlight (an abiotic factor) to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose, which serves as their food.

The other options (insects, birds, and fish) are biotic components and rely on other living organisms for food.

Thus, the correct answer is C: Plants.

Organisms can breathe through different parts of their body depending on their species:

• A: Nostrils: Many land animals, including humans, breathe through their nostrils. The air is drawn into the lungs through the nose.
• B: Skin: Some organisms, like amphibians (e.g., frogs) and certain worms, can absorb oxygen through their skin, especially when they are in moist environments.
• C: Gills: Aquatic animals, such as fish, breathe through gills. Gills extract oxygen from water.

So, the correct answer is D: All of the above, as different organisms can use nostrils, skin, or gills for respiration.

Plants do not excrete waste in the same way animals do, but they do have mechanisms to deal with waste products:

• A: Storing the wastes: Plants can store waste products like resins, tannins, or certain other compounds in vacuoles, where they are kept in a non-toxic form.
• B: Secretions: Some plants excrete waste through their leaves in the form of secretions such as oils, resins, or other substances. For example, some plants excrete excess salts through their leaves.

Plants do not produce urine (as in the case of animals), so C is not the correct answer.

Hence, D: Both A and B is the correct answer.